Patternmaking Essentials Course
Take your sewing skills further in this beginner-friendly patternmaking course designed for confident home sewers. Learn how to draft skirt, bodice and pant blocks using your own body measurements, then refine the fit through toile construction and personalised adjustments.
Working from industry-standard templates, you’ll create paper patterns, sew calico toiles to test fit, and transfer your final designs onto durable cardboard blocks. By the end of the course, you’ll have a set of custom-fitted blocks you can use again and again as the foundation for future garment designs.
With a maximum of 10 students per class, you’ll receive plenty of one-on-one guidance as you build confidence in fitting, drafting and garment construction techniques.
Course Content
- Skirt block: Take accurate body measurements, draft a skirt block, sew and fit a toile, then transfer to cardboard with full markings.
- Bodice block: Draft and fit a personalised bodice block using calico toiles and guided adjustments.
- Pant block: Develop a pant block tailored to your measurements and refine fit through toile testing.
- Refinement: Finalise all blocks and explore additional elements such as waistbands, pockets or sleeves.
Schedule & Pricing
- Four full-day sessions (9:30am–4:00pm) or eight evening sessions (6:00pm–9:00pm).
- Class size capped at 10 students.
- Course fee from $719.
Additional Information
- 30-minute lunch break for full-day classes.
- Accessibility: Upper-level room accessed by stairs only; lift currently out of service.
Details
You will learn
- Take accurate body measurements for drafting
- Create and fit skirt, bodice and pant toiles
- Develop personalised cardboard pattern blocks
You will get
- Expert tutor guidance in a small class
- Custom-fitted skirt, bodice and pant blocks
- Hands-on experience drafting and fitting toiles
Appropriate for
Confident home sewers and sewing enthusiasts with basic garment construction experience who want to draft patterns tailored to their body.
Preparation
What to bring
- 5m calico (150cm wide) or 7m (115cm wide)
- Basic sewing kit including needles, thread and scissors
- Measuring tape, ruler, pencils and notebook
What to wear
Closed-in shoes required
Your Teacher
Sydney Community College
38 reviewsSydney Community College is a registered charity with a voluntary Board of Directors.
The College has a mission to offer innovative continuing adult education and training programmes that support individual efforts and facilitate sustainable social change.
We do this by:
- Providing quality continuing adult education opportunities for people to build practical and theoretical skills and develop knowledge;
- Leveraging from and developing community capacity and inclusivity;
- Developing innovative affordable and accessible skills training programmes;
- Partnering with like organisations to deliver learning opportunities for disadvantaged individuals and communities;
- Partnering with all levels of government to deliver education policy objectives.
Cancellations & Refunds
If the organiser cancels the class:
You are entitled to a full refund.
If you can't attend the class:
You’re welcome to send someone in your place.
OR
- A refund can be requested 10 days before class starts. An admin fee of AU$45.00 applies.
Terms & Conditions
At Sydney Community College, we know that plans can change unexpectedly. Whether it’s a shift in your schedule, a family emergency, or just a change of heart, we want to support you in the fairest way possible.
At the same time, we’re a not-for-profit organisation that commits resources to running each class—so last-minute cancellations can significantly impact our ability to offer quality, affordable programs.
That’s why we’ve created a simple, transparent policy that balances your need for flexibility with our need to plan and deliver courses sustainably. Our cancellation policy offers two clear options, depending on when you notify us:
Cancel More Than 10 Days Before the Course Starts – You can choose to receive a full refund, minus a $45 administration fee OR a non-refundable credit note valid for 12 months for the full value you paid for the course. This credit can be used towards any future course at the College.
Option 2: Cancel Within 10 Days of the Course Starting - You’ll receive a credit note valid for 12 months for 50% of the course fee you paid for the course. This credit can be used towards any future course at the College.
Please note that both refund and credit options are only available before the course begins. Once the course has started—or if you decide to withdraw after it has commenced—no refunds or credits can be issued. If you need to cancel your enrolment, just email us and we’ll take care of it based on the timelines above.
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Patternmaking Essentials Course
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